The true cost of a shorter school week: The cheap solution will cost us dearly - opinion

The proposed reduction of the school week in elementary schools and kindergartens, promoted by the Finance Ministry as part of the Economic Arrangements Law, holds long-term risks for the Israeli education system and the economy as a whole.

This move, disguised as “efficiency” and budget savings, actually harms us all: children will be left without a clear framework on Fridays, teachers will face harsher working conditions, and parents will pay the price at the expense of their personal and professional lives.

During times of war, when many children suffer from increasing mental distress, the last thing we need is to disrupt pedagogical continuity.

Students need a stable framework that provides them with security, especially during periods of uncertainty and stress like this prolonged war. Shortening the school week will disrupt this continuity just when children need it most.

While the dry numbers from the ministry might suggest budget efficiency, this move does not address the real problems of the education system.

The annual OECD report published this month once again held up a painful mirror to our face: Israel, considered the Start-Up Nation, is at the bottom in terms of investment in students and teachers’ salaries. High school teachers in Israel earn 9% less than the OECD average, and the education system continues to suffer from a chronic shortage of quality personnel. 

Cutting a school day per week will not improve the situation; it will worsen it. Instead of investing in enhancing the system, we are reducing it and deepening social gaps. This will only lead to the creation of a weaker generation that the education system struggles to fully support.

Impact on the Israeli economy

Beyond the impact on students, this cut will also harm the productivity of the Israeli economy in the long run. According to research conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, some 40% of employees report high levels of burnout due to the war and the personal and family pressures that accompany it. 

In such a complex period, parents will spend Fridays organizing and planning for their homes and children, forfeiting any chance to rest and recharge for the upcoming work week.

The burden will only increase, and employees will reach peak levels of burnout, severely affecting their productivity and mental health. This measure does not create true economic savings but rather cumulative harm that will affect the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of families and our collective finances.

Shortening the school week is not a solution – it is a temporary bandage on a bleeding wound that threatens to worsen further. Instead of continuing to cut school hours, we must invest resources in improving teachers’ working conditions and ensuring a stable and meaningful educational framework for our children. Education is the foundation of everything; without it, there is no future or recovery for the State of Israel.

The writer is mayor of Ganei Tikva, deputy chair of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel and chair of its Education Committee.